"It has been a lot of work and a lot of fun to keep this league running for over five years now. Throughout the years, we've seen a lot of things happen: crushing beatdowns in championship games, last minute victories, wars between unbeatable teams, season long comebacks from last place to eventual champion, and much more. This season, I decided to set the theme as "Old School" to celebrate these past five years and I'm proud of the way the season went. Everyone was active, more active than usual, and that lead to some thrilling back and forth battles for the final few playoff spots. Now, the playoffs are here. The final four teams are set. All that's left is to see who takes home the ACFW Heavyweight Championship. Good luck!"
Following interference from Ronda Rousey, Asuka won the Smackdown Women's Championship and set into motion one of the most unlikely changes in the standings in league history. Carl, who had been the 6th ranked team for weeks, moved all the way up to 4th and then secured his spot on the following episodes of Raw and Smackdown. In doing so, he locked out Austin and Jeff, who played for last season's championship.
Because of that, we have all new faces in the playoff game. Carl will be participating in his first ever playoff match after seven seasons in the league. Having never finished higher than 7th in any of the previous seasons, he'll be looking to prove that he belongs in the 4th spot.
Terry missed last season's playoffs but is returning this season. Even though he was held down at the draft, he managed to scramble through the free agency and navigate his way to his 8th overall appearance in the playoffs. Now he seeks to make yet another run at the ACFW Championship.
Chris is playing only his second season ever and appearing in the playoffs for the second time. Last time, he won and advanced to face Ben for the first ever ACFW Championship. "Me vs Ben is simply destined to happen," he commented last week. Will we see the rematch in the finals?
Ben finished ranked #1 for the third consecutive season. The last two times, he was upset by the #4 team. This time, he doesn't have to play a playoff game and simply advances to the championship game.
Match information:
- Begins January 7th, ends January 15th
- Includes two weeks
- Most total points scored advances to the championship to face Ben
Past Games:
- Terry:35 beat Carl:23 (Season 6, Week 5)
- Terry:43 beat Carl:30 (Season 6, Week 10)
- Chris:60 beat Terry:20 (Season 1, Week 6)
- Chris:41 beat Terry:35 (Season 1, Playoffs)
*Terry finished ranked ahead of Carl in all 6 of Carl's past seasons
Odds:
- Chris is a 9-point favorite over Terry
- Carl is a 17-point underdog
Everything seems to favor Chris in this matchup, however Terry has won as the underdog before (and as a much larger underdog than a small 4.5 points per week) and Carl is seeking his first playoff victory. Anyone could win the first ever triple threat playoff match.
Despite the odds, Carl simply stated that it was the start of a new era. A Carl victory would mean a first time game for the championship, while a Terry victory would mean a rematch from Season 6, and a Chris victory would be a rematch from Season 1.
- Ben:72 beat Terry:50 (Season 6 Championship)
- Ben:64 beat Chris:61 (Season 1 Championship)
Both Terry and Chris have losses to avenge if they end up facing Ben on January 27th. Carl, on the other hand, could add himself to that small list of champions if he manages to win it all.
- Ben vs ??? (Season 13 Championship)
Will it be Carl and the 'start of a new era'? Will it be Terry claiming his 'rightful' place? Or is Ben vs Chris 'destined' to happen?
Playoffs begin in two days!
*Parts of this post have been submitted by the players involved and do not reflect the opinions of Commissioner Austin, the Fetner Foundation, or Azalea City Fantasy Wrestling
*Live scoring will be available for both the January 8th Smackdown and the January 15th Smackdown